tnt

Is it still too soon to make conclusions about pairwise? It seems odd to me that Michigan Tech is number 7 in the pairwise with 8 losses and only one tie against a top 11 pairwise team, while we have 10 losses but 7 wins and one tie against top 11 pairwise teams. Hoping that some of these type wins will start moving the needle a bit, as we sure tumbled fast against losses to a top 3 team, but didn’t gain much in win and a tie against top 5.

UND really needs to stay out of the box tomorrow, as they missed some open nets early that might have turned the game around. Tomorrow is huge to try and get home ice, as St.Cloud still has two games in hand but still play Duluth 4 times, Western twice and Denver twice. It would also do wonders for our pairwise. I like that Hellsten can play the puck, but if you have a defenseman nearby, let them make the headman pass. Would hate to have a bad goal hurt us when we already let some games slip away. In short, be ready for a completely different St. Cloud team tomorrow.

Squirrel!!

Also, another thing in common with those teams is that they have some older players that have played in their system for a while. We've seen how likely it is that the average freshman is going to struggle to adapt to the college level, so having guys that have gotten past that stage is huge, and why you see a lot of these veteran teams do well during tournament time, even against more talented teams. That is why I don't necessarily think you automatically throw away guys that haven't produced after the first year or two, because at the very least they know what you expect from them and at least most likely won't struggle at both ends of the ice. Obviously some guys need a change of scenery, but a lot of times that third year is when guys start to really get it, like Collin Adams.

So UND's number exceeds that of the rest of the league combined! So how has that worked for all the teams in front of UND in that statistic?

But you attached the quote about Mankato. If you just want to make a blanket statement why attach a quote?

To be clear, I was talking about the people whining about losing recruits, not you.

Perhaps you can answer the question what player Mankato recruited that was a top two round draft pick that you cherish.

But when your whole life revolves around finding something to complain about, that's what you do!

Mankato has traditionally taken older players from the BCHL, so please name the huge recruits they have reeled in that were considered 5 star.

If we had a roster based on all the angry posts after someone commits elsewhere, we would have 500 players!

How many playaas drafted from the BCHL last draft?

Has he moved away from them, or have we not got them? They said we are recruiting Logan Cooley, and he probably is 2 years tops. Agree that people are nuts complaining incessantly, especially given the circumstances of this year, but Berry also shouldn't be immune to any criticism. I trusted Berry making the right decision bringing in Johnson over Morrow, but looking at it objectively with the injury to Johnson and his need to work on his strength, that was clearly a wrong decision. Was it due to potential parent issues? Let's face it, those issues don't hold a candle to the Mitchell Miller fiasco. Also, hindsight with Rizzo doesn't seem to be a great decision, especially with our issues on the power play and scoring goals lately. Not sure Driscoll was an upgrade over Thome either. All of those situations could have mitigated some of the losses we felt after last year. So there is room for criticism, but people need to realize that every decision a coach makes is open for criticism, so missing on a few is inevitable, so you have to take the job performance as a whole and in that situation Berry has done quite well.

You do realize that our main problem is that our players are panning out and leaving for the next level. If we keep one or two of the players we lost, we aren't having this conversation.

That was Minnesota's recruiting philosophy for the longest time, and it never paid off. It wasn't until they started getting some nice gritty role players that they turned it around. There is a reason that you hear teams always preaching being hard to play against. Definitely need to have a mix, but traditionally high end talent alone hasn't been the ticket to winning it all. I think if Berry needs to do something better, it is to have some more flexibility on guys you are bringing in, and realize the area you will be lacking and bring them in accordingly. Obviously high end guys aren't going to allow for flexibility, as we saw with Morrow. If Weatherby stays we are probably not having the angst we are right now because our power play would be better. I would say ditto if Scheel stayed, because he was a difference maker. Berry admits special teams determines a majority of games, so to not have taken Morrow this year or possibly Rizzo a year ago rather than a grinder type really hurts with the loss of Weatherby because you really need two competent power play units. Mark Senden is indispensable to this team, but needing him on the power play suggests shortsightedness or players not developing as perceived. I do think with the constant turnaround of players and some players taking longer to adjust, or not making the adjustment, you need to make sure you have guys that are ultra competitive and still have a good skill set, something that don't always come together. That's what makes guys like TJ Oshie so special. I still have hope for this team, they just need to have guys that performed well in the first half, step it up again in the second half.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=195229 Kunz seems to be ahead of this guys pace, and as mentioned Kunz came in a little younger.

Yet we still have more goals than Duluth this year, and about 66 more over the last three years. So is Sandelin’s system worse, even though he’s won Natty’s?

Hate to see sheep expelling gas!

Duluth didn't win their Natty's in January, so why are you asking that question now?

…and it seems the last few years they had trouble scoring goals, but have really turned it around this year, except against us. We need to get back to putting up at least 3 goals, and our chances go up immensely.

True, and we haven't even played them yet, so what standard are we using to say they are better? Do we go by pairwise, or do we go by league standings? In the end, all of it will be proven out on the ice, this weekend, when they play here, and who knows, maybe an NCAA matchup.

Said it before, and I will say it again. How many more football Alumni are there than hockey Alumni? It's time for some of those Alumni to step up and support the program. Roughly 70 more alumni every year, and if each of them gave another $1000, and multiply that over the past 30 years or so, and you have quite a bit of money. Yes, the administration has to focus more on the other programs, but I think if they see a passionate alumni base in those programs it is that much harder to overlook.

Maybe the fans are bipolar because the play on the ice seems to be inconsistent, but I think as a fanbase we need to be thankful for where we are right now, and hope they can gain a level of consistency in the second half. You can say that we lost more than any other team in the country after last year, but we are still fighting it out for a possible league championship and NCAA tourney appearance. Funny how all of the people that were down on Hakstol and kept saying why can't we be more like Boston College are now using other measuring sticks. Yes, that is what great programs do, but I think we need to be a bit more realistic after losing such a dynamic group -- after all we could be like Boston College!

Would agree that a split would be great, but not sure that a first place team has to feel that a loss is a foregone conclusion either night.

I would say the next 4 games with Jake Sanderson will determine if this could go really south in a hurry and turn a promising year into a collapse. If they come out and just go through the motions figuring they always rebound from off games, then it may not bode well for the rest of the year, especially when much of it will be without Sanderson.